GLADIATOR II : Tuesday 19th November 2024

I saw the M Rated 'GLADIATOR II' at my local multiplex earlier this week, and this US and UK co-produced epic historical action film is Co-Produced and Directed by Ridley Scott and is the sequel to Scott's classic 'Gladiator' from 2000. That film grossed US$465M off the back of a production budget of US$103M and won five Academy Awards from twelve nominations among a total awards haul of sixty wins and a further 104 nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit. This film cost US$210M to produce, has so far grossed US$99M, was released here in Australia and New Zealand last week, in the UK on 15th and the USA on 22nd November, and has generated largely positive critical reviews. A further sequel 'Gladiator III' is reportedly in the early stages of development. 

Set sixteen years after the events of 'Gladiator', Lucius Verus (Paul Mescal) living under the name Hanno, the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and Maximus (Russell Crowe from the first film), lives with his wife Arishat (Yuval Gonen) and child in Numidia - a province on the North African coast. Roman soldiers led by General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) invade, killing his wife and declaring that Numidia is now a Roman province captured for the glory of Rome, while burning the dead, among them many women and children. Lucius is forced into slavery, boards a ship with other barbarian slaves and sent to Ostia, the port of Rome. 

To promote the slaves as potential gladiators, the Romans pit them against feral baboons in an enclosed arena. Lucius savagely kills a baboon, watched on by an impressed stablemaster Macrinus (Denzel Washington). Although Lucius has no desire to be a gladiator, Macrinus promises him an opportunity to kill Acacius if he lives long enough and rises victorious from his fights. Macrinus sees that Lucius has a rage and a fury inside him, which he says are key attributes that will see him win his freedom.

When Acacius returns to Rome a hero, the twin emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Herchinger) arrange gladiatorial games in the Colosseum to celebrate his victory. Although the disillusioned Acacius requests a welcome and deserved break with his wife, Lucilla, (the daughter of the late Emperor Marcus Aurelius and Maximus's former lover), the emperors refuse, greedily plotting to conquer Persia and India with all haste. Later Senator Thraex (Tim McInnerny) hosts a party for the emperors and the elite, and arranges a gladiatorial duel as entertainment between Lucius and the emperors #1 gladiator, which Lucius wins. When Geta tries to make small talk with Lucius afterwards, Lucius contemptuously recites poetry by Virgil at him, so demonstrating that he has received a Roman education.

Lucilla and Acacius accompany the emperors to the Colosseum to see Lucius and other gladiator slaves battle it out against a giant rhinoceros ridden by a hulking gladiator hell bent on killing every one of them. After watching Lucius copy Maximus's tactics in the Colosseum, Lucilla realises that Lucius is her long-lost son and the imperial heir, whom she sent away for his protection after the death of Maximus when he was just nine years old. The next day, a naval battle is staged in the Colosseum, with Lucius taking the Macrinus team to victory, and in the ensuing chaos, he fires a crossbow at Acacius narrowly missing him with the arrow becoming embedded in the back of the chair where the emperors sit. After the battle and under cover of darkness, Lucilla visits Lucius in his prison cell. He angrily rebuffs Lucilla saying that he resented being forced to flee to the desert while his mother lived in luxury, and he is upset that her new lover caused his wife's death.

Lucius learns that Macrinus and his team doctor, Ravi (Alexander Karim), are both former slaves who won their freedom in the Colosseum. However, they both took very different paths following their freedom. Ravi, married a Roman woman and believes that Rome can be a multicultural republic. He shows Lucius the shrine to fallen gladiators and Maximus, the people's champion, which preserves Maximus's gear, including his steel breast plate and sword. Macrinus conversely tries to reclaim his standing by building his power base with the emperors and sees no conflict between being a freed slave and enslaving others.

Lucilla and Acacius conspire with Senators Thraex and Gracchus (Derek Jacobi) to overthrow the emperors and restore the Roman Republic. Acacius also agrees to rescue Lucius from slavery. However, Thraex reveals the plan to Macrinus who he is heavily in debt to, and who in turn tips off the emperors. The couple are arrested for treason, and Macrinus is appointed an imperial advisor.

Macrinus assigns Lucius to kill Acacius in the arena, watched on by a shackled Lucilla. However, after gaining the upper hand Lucius declines to execute him. The imperial guard are all told by the emperor's to execute Acacius anyway and he is shot by a dozen arrows. This leads the commoners to riot. Macrinus visits Lucilla in her cell, revealing that despite her father's idealistic beliefs, Marcus Aurelius hypocritically enslaved Macrinus. Macrinus announces that he will avenge himself on Rome by becoming Emperor. 

Macrinus plans to end the imperial dynasty, and begins by manipulating Caracalla to kill Geta. After Caracalla names his pet monkey Dundas as Chief Consul, Macrinus convinces the Senate to overthrow him. Macrinus also persuades Caracalla to use Lucilla as bait in the Colosseum, with only Lucius to defend her against a small army of Imperial Guard. His plan is for Lucius and Lucilla to be mercilessly slaughtered, which he knows will incite another riot, with the Senate ordering the execution of Caracalla in order to diffuse the situation and bring peace once again.

Lucius and Lucilla reconcile their differences to overthrow Macrinus. Lucilla tells Lucius that he is Maximus's son and gifts Lucius his father's ring with his name engraved on the inside. Lucius sends Ravi with the ring to meet Acacius's legions stationed just outside Rome, requesting military assistance. Lucilla is brought into the Colosseum shackled to a post along with the senators with whom she conspired. Lucius rallies the gladiators to revolt. Armed with Maximus's armour and sword, he leads the gladiators into the arena to defend Lucilla from execution. Gracchus is killed in the onslaught, while Macrinus kills Lucilla with an arrow fired into her chest, and then stabs Caracalla through the ear with a six inch needle. Macrinus flees the rioting city on horseback with Lucius in hot pursuit.

Acacius's army of some 5,000 men and Macrinus's army of 6,000 meet outside Rome and come to a halt either side of one of the city's gates. To prevent a battle between the two rival factions, Macrinus and Lucius fight it out. Although Macrinus nearly kills Lucius in a river by repeatedly stabbing at his breast plate with his sword, which does not penetrate due to its steel construction, Lucius kills Macrinus by first beating him across the head with a rock he grabbed while under the surface, then chopping off his lower arm just below the elbow before slashing him across the stomach so that his entrails spilled out. In a rousing speech after clambering out of the water, he reveals his true identity as the imperial heir and persuades the Praetorians to allow him free passage into Rome, where he mourns his parents in the now empty Colosseum.

With 'Gladiator II' Director and Co-Producer Ridley Scott has crafted a fitting sequel to his epic 2000 offering that continues the story arc admirably while also paying homage to Russell Crowe's Oscar winning role of Maximus. The film certainly looks the part in transporting us back to ancient Rome with its extravagant sets and costumes, the action set pieces are well choreographed, there is plenty of bloodletting, the cinematography is quite beautiful and Paul Mescal gives a convincing turn as humble farmer turned hero gladiator, and Denzel Washington chews up every scene he's in with gusto. This film is not quite up there with the 2000 original, but nonetheless should be enjoyed by those with a penchant for swords and sandals epics, big action sequences, drama and emotion. My only criticisms of the film is Connie Nielsen's performance is a little stilted in places, and the use of CGI sharks in the Colosseum naval battle sequence was way to obvious for my liking and why would Ridley bother with making up this element when more often that not he has come to rely on historical fact than fiction.

'Gladiator II' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-